


The Trouble With Fairies

by shinigami_yumi



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Community: spn_reversebang, Crack, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-10 02:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1153862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinigami_yumi/pseuds/shinigami_yumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for <a href="spn-reversebang.livejournal.com">Supernatural Reverse Bang</a> 2013:</p><p>Jensen is a farmer with a simple routine, but his ordinary life is turned upside down when he meets Misha, Lord of the Fae. When he wakes in a land made entirely of candy, the last thing he expects is to befriend a titan trapped alone in a tower. To his surprise, Misha shows up to rescue him, but then Jared sets his sights on the troublesome fairy...</p><p><a href="http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q398/kidezt/BBart/spnrbb001mishagif.gif">The fantastic prompt</a> by <a href="http://kidezt.livejournal.com">Meinarch</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Trouble With Fairies

Once upon a time, a man named Jensen lived with his grandmother on a farm. They reared alpacas for their wool and llamas to be sold to shepherds to guard their flock. One day, Jensen went to the market as usual, leading two of his best llamas and a bag of alpaca wool to sell. As it was drizzling, he put on his red raincoat and pulled up the hood. However, when he arrived, Matt was nowhere to be found. Matt was an agent for the shepherds, so he bought Jensen’s llamas and brought them to the shepherds to resell. But today, Jensen waited and waited, and still, there was no sign of Matt. So he sold the wool to a clothmaker and led his llamas home.

When he arrived, the first thing he noticed was that his front door was wide open. Fearing for his grandmother, he dashed into the house.

There was blood everywhere.

Red splattered all over the walls, the floor, the furniture, and in the middle of it all, a large black creature with its face buried in Nana. It lifted its head and turned as Jensen ran in, face stained red and blood dripping from its snout, but all Jensen could see was his poor grandmother, lying still on her favourite armchair, pieces ripped out of her lifeless form.

Suddenly, it roared and charged at him, but before he could react, his llamas attacked with a loud cry. Snapping back to himself, he ran for the axe on the wall to help, but just as he turned, there was a blinding light. He shielded his eyes, trying to find his llamas, but it was far too bright.

When the light cleared, there was... a man...? Well, it looked a bit like a man, one that was a third of his size, clad in skin-tight orange and hovering in midair with fluttering iridescent wings. On its head, it wore a wreath of... Was that _kale_?

"Oh, aren't you wonderful?" it cooed as it patted the llamas with tiny hands.

 _What the— it talks!_ Jensen squeezed his eyes shut. _Maybe this is a dream, and I'll wake up, and everythin’ll be okay._

"Hey."

 _A nightmare,_ he told himself, opening his eyes. The scene before him had not changed. _Nope, still dreamin’._ He closed his eyes again. _There is no fuckin’ way this is real._

"Hey, um. I'm sorry I arrived too late. She was important to you, wasn't she?"

When he opened his eyes once more, the winged man in bright orange was hovering closer to him now, a little higher to match his eye level, and looking terribly sad and contrite.

He pinched himself. "Ow. I'm not dreamin’?"

It sighed, clasping its hands. "I'm afraid not. Anomalies have been cropping up all over my homeland of late, and I’ve been searching and searching for a way to stop it to no avail. I rushed to track that big bad wolf down as soon as I'd discovered it escaped, but that wasn't soon enough, and I'm sorry. I know that doesn’t mean much, but I truly am. Please let me know if there's any way I can help."

"So... Nana's really..."

His eyes were stinging, but the little man looked like he was about to burst into tears too at the mention of Jensen's grandmother, and Jensen couldn't help feeling bad — it was ridiculous.

"Who—no, _what_ are you?" he asked, trying to take his mind off the grief.

"Me? Why, I'm a fairy, of course." The fairy twirled as if to give Jensen a better look. "My name is Misha."

“You say that like it’s the most normal thing in the world.”

“Oh.” If possible, Misha looked even more dejected than before. “You don’t believe in us. That’s right. I’d heard very few humans do these days. Maybe that’s why our power has waned.”

 _Okay. This is too fuckin’ surreal._ Jensen grabbed the nearest chair from the dinner table. _I need to sit down._ “Okay. So you’re a fairy,” and he tried not to think about how it sounded like a euphemism as the fairy nodded eagerly, politely shifting lower so it could continue hovering at eye level. “If I believe in you enough, could you bring Nana back?”

Looking crushed, Misha literally dropped a few inches. “I—I’m so sorry, but even at the height of our power, the dead were beyond our reach. I wish I could go back in time and undo this, but even that… Please. Tell me of some other way I can help you.” He glanced over Jensen’s shoulder. “We… We should put her to rest.”

Jensen sighed, running his hand tiredly over his face. “Yeah. Yeah, please. Let’s start with that.”

The fairy nodded, flying over to the armchair, and what appeared to be sparkles fell upon it from him. Then the entire armchair, and its occupant, was _floating,_ and Jensen was too shocked to answer when Misha sadly said, “You should decide on the place.”

“Um… A—are you all right?”

“Uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck, walking outside and looking around. There was that old oak tree in the backyard that she would sit under everyday for tea. Perhaps she'd like to remain there. "That tree." He pointed at it and began walking towards it, Misha following close behind. A branch hung low, within reach, a yellow ribbon tied around it from many years ago. "Right here," he said, stopping. “It was her favorite spot.”

"Okay." The armchair landed nearby. "Stand back." Misha shifted to hover over the indicated spot and began to glow. Then he started spinning, and Jensen watched in complete astonishment as the soil began to move. Faster and faster he spun, and as he did, the earth rose up and moved aside. When he finally stopped, there was a large hole in the ground, about six feet deep. The armchair floated into it, and Misha asked, "Is there... anything before she becomes one with the land?"

There was, maybe. Or there should have been. But Jensen wasn't really good at this sort of thing. He rubbed his face with his hand again, wiped the dampness on his jeans. "Thanks for everything, Nana," he whispered to her. "You don't have to worry about me anymore. Goodbye."

Misha nodded, clasping his hands and bowing his head. He mumbled words Jensen couldn't make out, and then little specks of light were snowing upon the grave. The earth shifted back into place, and the light seemed to spread across the farm like fireflies taking flight. It was beautiful, just like Nana had been.

“I’ve blessed the land as well, that it may be bountiful for your herd.” The fairy flew closer. “Please. Isn’t there anything else I can do?”

Misha seemed so desperate to offer some kind of reparation, but Jensen couldn’t think of any wish besides the one he couldn’t grant. “Another day, perhaps,” he said at last.

Looking disappointed, the other agreed. “All right. Then take care of yourself. I will come again.” So saying, Misha began to fly away, but suddenly turned back. “Oh!” He reached into a pocket that hadn’t been visible until then and pressed three bright green beans into Jensen’s hand. “Here, you should have these.”

Jensen blinked down at them. “What am I supposed to do with these?”

Misha squinted at him like he was being very silly. “Why, plant them, of course! It’s a magical tree. It’ll help me find you again.”

With that, the fairy flew away. Jensen returned to the house. It was clean. There was no sign that anything had happened there. The only thing missing was the armchair.

It was too much.

Jensen went to his room and collapsed upon his bed, exhausted. Glancing at the beans in his hand, he decided he’d plant them tomorrow and slipped them under the mattress. He was asleep in moments.

Jensen woke to sunlight in his eyes and a breeze that smelled of sugar. He sat up in shock.

He was outside.

Still on his bed, but outside, surrounded by gigantic bamboo trees with a slightly curved green wall behind him. He slid off the bed onto the grass.

 _Wait, this isn’t grass._ He lifted his foot. The “grass” stuck to it slid off in a molten glob. He crouched for a closer look. _Ch—chocolate? Seriously?_ He ran to the bamboo trees. They were made of —he leaned closer to smell it— peppermint candy. In some places, there was no grass, and the ground appeared to be made of chocolate fondant.

“What the hell?!” _I’m dreamin’ again, ain’t I?_ He pinched himself. _Ow! Damn it, I’m really on a cake?!_

He ran back over to his bed. There were vines growing through it. He inspected a leaf on one of the shoots. _This is a real plant though. Then that curved green wall…_ Scrambling over to it, he patted it. _Wait, this is a plant too?!_ He looked down, over the edge of the bed, into the gap between it and the plant wall and saw… _Clouds?! How the—_

That’s when he remembered. Misha and the bright green magical beans. “Imma kill that fairy.”

Just then, there were growls behind him. He turned and squinted in confusion at the large black and white creatures approaching. Were those pandas?

“You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me.” He looked over the edge again. Even the clouds were far below, and there were no hand- or footholds to be seen. No escape.

The pandas surrounded the bed, looking curiously at him, and he wondered if it was too soon to be grateful that pandas were primarily herbivores. They were probably more interested in the beanstalk than in him. Hopefully.

Then the pandas looked at each other and nodded.

They grabbed him.

He shouted and struggled, but couldn’t keep them from hefting him onto the largest panda’s back. Despite appearances, he’d expected gummies instead of real fur, but it seemed to be a proper panda, warm and fuzzy. Immediately, it started running through the bamboo forest, and he had to cling on for dear life. He’d heard that pandas weren’t especially mobile creatures, but this one, like everything else in this crazy land, was unnatural, zipping through the sugary landscape like a fine racehorse. They passed a blue syrup lake and a brown sugar desert with a caramel “quicksand” before going up a hill through a garden dotted with a variety of candy fruit trees and fondant flowers. When they reached the top, there was some snow, or rather powdered icing sugar, and a humongous castle constructed of various candy cubes.

There was no door.

Instead, his ride circled around and pulled on what looked to be a licorice twist. Somewhere, a bell tolled. He let go and tried to slide off and escape, but the panda reached around and resettled him on its back, then began to climb. With little choice but to cling on tightly, he looked up as they climbed higher and higher. Up atop, a rainbow sour tape formed an arc across the sky, and the panda was climbing up a thick braided rope from a window near the top of a tower. Wait. Was that _hair?_

_Maybe there’s a lonely princess trapped in this castle,_ he decided. After all, without a door, how could anyone come in or out of the tower, and perhaps she had simply woven all her hair over the years into a rope long and strong enough for someone to climb up to keep her company. _Poor girl. Sure hope she’s a looker._

“Ooh, Cheerio! What have you brought me today?” cooed a booming masculine voice.

They’d reached the windowsill. Jensen looked up. And up. And higher up still to see a giant wearing a white candy floss sweater and blue licorice pants smiling down at him. The other pulled up his long brown hair and wound it around his waist. All that hair was still attached to his head.

“Oh my fuckin’ God.”

The giant lifted him then, gently with both hands, for a closer look. Every instinct screamed at Jensen to struggle, but being dropped to the floor from such a height was worse, so he held still. Eyes that were at once blue and green peered at him out of a heart-shaped face.

“Hello, my name is Jared. What’s yours?”

“J—Jensen.” This was insane, completely batshit fucking insane.

“What a lovely name!” the giant cried with a delighted smile. “Prince Jensen! But where’s your sword and armor?”

Jensen blinked. “What?”

“All my life, I’ve been waiting for a prince to come free me from this castle just like in the movies. Don’t they normally have swords and armor and a loyal steed?”

“Um… I’m uh… not a prince.”

“Oh.” Jared looked disappointed. “You’ve come to set me free though?”

Jensen hesitated. What if the giant would eat or crush him if he didn’t prove useful? “Uh… Of course! What must I do?”

For a long moment, Jared simply stared, pensive. Finally, his shoulders sagged, and he sighed. “The truth is… I have no idea.” He sat down on a large chair and set Jensen down on the nearby table. “I’ve lived in this castle all my life, and everyday, I’d look out from my high window here at the land around me. It’s beautiful, and I really want to see it up close, but I can’t get out of here. I’ve tried everything — searching for a door, trying to break the wall, even climbing out the windows. But I’ve never found any openings besides the windows which are too small to climb through, and no matter what I do, the walls won’t even chip.” He looked forlornly at Jensen, and the look reminded the human of a kicked puppy. “I was hoping my rescuer would have some idea I haven’t thought of, but if you’re asking too…”

“What if I had a look around?” Jensen suggested. Jared didn’t seem to mean any harm, and he looked so sad and lonely. Jensen couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. “Maybe I’ll find something you missed?”

“Would you?” Jared asked, brightening with hope. “Oh, you’re every bit the saviour I dreamed of!” He pulled Jensen into a hug.

“I—I can’t breathe…”

“Oops, sorry. I forget my strength sometimes.” He ducked his head sheepishly. “Come.” He picked Jensen up, held him close like a favorite doll. “Let me show you around.”

What must have been hours later, Jared had taken Jensen to every room in the castle. Everything, _everything_ was made of candy, and Jensen had inspected every nook and cranny to no avail. Jared sighed once more, dropping into his large marshmallow couch and settling Jensen on his lap.

“I suppose it is too much to hope for that you would discover in a few hours an exit I’ve failed to find in all my years here.”

Jensen groaned, rolling off to flop down on the soft surface instead. He was tired, twitchy, and his head was pounding.

“Hey.” A large hand ran down his back at just the right pressure. “You okay?”

“No. Do that again.”

“Okay.” Jared repeated the motion, running two fingers down each side of his back. “Better?”

“Hell yeah. Keep going.”

“Say, how’d you get up here anyway? I’ve never seen anyone up here before.”

“A fairy gave me these magical beans. I slipped them under my mattress thinkin’ I’d plant ‘em in the mornin’. And then I woke up here on top of a massive beanstalk.”

“Fairy?” Jared flipped him over. “Wait, like Sleeping Beauty kind of fairy?”

Jensen blinked up at the other’s excited face. “What?”

“Like a fairy godmother?”

He imagined Misha, with his orange unitard and kale headdress, as a godmother. “That’s terrifyin’, no.”

Again, Jared seemed crestfallen. “But if you could summon that fairy again, he could get me out of here.”

“If I could summon that fairy again, Imma make him get us both out of here, and then kick his ass!” Jensen retorted.

If possible, Jared’s dismay grew. “You mean you can’t?”

At that, all the energy seemed to drain out of Jensen at once. “No. He just gave me those damnable beans and told me to plant them so he could find me again.” He sighed tiredly. “Do you have coffee?”

“Well, I have coffee candy,” Jared offered, going along with the change of subject.

“No, no, nuh-uh. Just coffee, without the sugar.”

Jared furrowed his brow. “I don’t think anything can be made here without sugar.”

“Fine, fine,” Jensen grouched. “Coffee candy it is.”

Jared left for several minutes before returning with a large plate. On it were some small unevenly shaped pieces of brown candy.

"Sorry for the wait. I had to break it into little pieces for you. The candy is half your size."

"Thanks." He ate a piece. It was sweet, but it was good coffee, so he'd take it. On the bright side, he could consume this lying down. "So what do you do here anyway, all by yourself?"

"Well, there are some games and movies up here. I've played and watched them all because they've always been here, but they're still fun. When I tire of them, I invent new candy. The pandas visit often too and bring me various curiosities from across the land. Like you." Jared smiled. He had charming dimples and kind eyes. He wouldn't keep Jensen here forever, would he?

"I need to get back to my herd," he hazarded.

"Herd?" Jared tilted his head. "What's that?"

"I told you I'm no prince. I raise a herd of llamas and alpacas on a farm down below."

"Llamas?" Jared asked excitedly. "Like in The Emperor's New Groove? So you're kinda like Pacha?"

"The what? Pa—who?"

“Seriously? You’ve never seen that?” Jared bounded off the couch to fiddle with some brightly coloured boxes in the front. Video popped up on a large screen and music started playing all around. It was just like going to the movies. “You have got to watch it with me,” Jared insisted, sitting back down and pulling Jensen up into a sitting position. “C’mon!”

Jensen couldn’t help laughing as Jared danced along to the music accompanying the movie’s end credits. It was mostly in keeping with the beat, but all awkward flailing limbs and not very dance-like at all. The giant seemed to be having fun though, and it was pretty comical to watch.

“You’re laughing at me,” Jared complained with a mock pout. “Stop laughing and dance too.”

“Oh yeah,” Jensen agreed, getting to his feet. “Imma show you how it’s done.”

He started rocking it out to the beat, and Jared danced a bit more before crouching for a closer look.

“Wow, you’re actually pretty good!”

In response, he posed and gave Jared his best “come hither” wink, and the giant giggled.

“I like you, Jensen. Where have you been all my life?”

At that, Jensen remembered his farm and his herd. He was worried about them. “I have to go.”

Jared’s face fell. “O—okay.” He looked utterly crushed, like he was about to tear up. “You’ll visit though, won’t you? You’ll come again?”

The other seemed so hopeful, and Jensen couldn’t find it in himself to say no. And yet, he also didn’t want to lie. The truth was that he had no idea how to get back up here. Come to think of it, he also had no idea how to get home. He sat down, wiped his hand over his face and then ran his hand through his hair.

“Jensen? What’s wrong?” There was such genuine concern on Jared’s face.

“I just remembered. I don’t know how I’m going to get down that beanstalk.”

There hadn’t been any hand- or footholds on the beanstalk’s smooth exterior, and he wasn’t about to take his chances with landing on a leaf. He could ask Jared for a lock of his hair to use as a rope, but he had nowhere secure to tie the rope to. If only Jared could come with him, the giant would be able to let his hair down the beanstalk for Jensen to climb, but Jared couldn’t even leave this castle. Besides, they were above the clouds, and Jared, while a giant, was only three times his size, and his hair was only twice as long. It may be long enough for the tower, but it wouldn’t reach the ground below the clouds.

“Then how will you go home?”

“I don’t know. But my llamas and alpacas…”

“Don’t they eat grass?”

Jensen nodded.

“Isn’t there grass where they are?”

“There is, but…”

“And water?”

“Well, there’s a stream that runs through the farm, but…”

“Then they’ll be fine. Don’t worry!”

Jensen wasn’t convinced. They had to be checked, taken out for better pasture, bathed… What if one of them fell sick while he was up here? What if thieves or predators came for them? Jared, seeing that Jensen wasn’t reassured, sat down to think as well.

“Could you climb down a lock of my hair?” he offered at length.

“I could, but there’s nowhere for me to tie it to, and I don’t think even your hair is long enough to reach the bottom of the beanstalk.”

Jared frowned, then picked him up and hugged him. “Don’t worry.” He patted Jensen on the back gently. “We’ll think of something. In the meantime, you could stay. Llamas and alpacas are such awesome creatures. I’m sure they’ll be fine for a little while.”

Jensen sighed. He couldn’t see any other alternative, so he nodded. It wasn’t really so bad, he had to admit. While Jared could easily crush him with one hand, the giant wasn’t a bad person. Although being alone again made him sad, he hadn’t tried to stop Jensen from leaving. He was pretty fun to be with, and they were rather like-minded, if their comments on the movie were anything to go by. Jensen liked him.

Jared set him down on the couch once more. “I was just about to go get some cake for dinner. Would you like some?”

Jensen grimaced. There was still this sweet, sweet problem. “Isn’t there anything not sweet for dinner?” Right now, he’d even take bland.

The giant pondered this for a few moments. “Well, maybe you’ll like salted caramel rolls?”

They didn’t count, but they did sound better than cake. “Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck and flopped back down again. “Yeah, salted caramel rolls sound like a plan.”

“Okay!” Jared went cheerily to the pantry. Jensen had almost dozed off when he returned with two plates and two glasses of juice cordial on a biscuit tray. He’d even thoughtfully brought Jensen a straw and cut the rolls into little pieces. “Want to watch another movie over dinner?”

“Sure.” Jensen shrugged, sitting up and reaching for a piece of the salted caramel rolls. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do, and Jared seemed to enjoy it.

The giant went over to tinker with the player again, and soon, another cartoon came on, vastly different from the first. The salted caramel rolls were surprisingly more salty than sweet, which made them quite good, and the juice cordial, while still sweet, was ice cold and had a refreshing tang.

Then Jared burst into song.

“Someday, my prince will come~” he sang along soulfully with the princess, and Jensen covered his ears. “Someday, we’ll meet again~”

The castle walls shook with the sound of his voice, and Jensen could not completely shut out the awfully off-key singing despite his best efforts.

“Hey, Jared.” The other didn’t seem to hear, completely absorbed in the music. “Hey! Jared!” Still no response. Jensen despaired at what his very normal life had become.

“HAS ANYONE TOLD YOU YOU SUCK?!”

Meanwhile, Misha had returned to see if Jensen had thought up a wish yet.

“Hmm… I could have sworn this was the place.”

Around and around he flew in search, but Jensen’s cottage was nowhere to be found.

“But the magical signature is right too. There’s a magical tree right here on blessed land.”

Just then, an entire herd of llamas and alpacas cantered up to him.

“Oh, there you are!” he cried, patting them with delight. They really were such wonderful creatures. “Where's your owner? I can’t find his house anywhere.”

As one, they bleated pointedly at something behind him. He turned. It was the magical beanstalk. He looked up the beanstalk, following it with his eyes into the clouds, and was hit with a wave of shocking realization.

 _Oh… Oh dear._ “Oops.”

"Hey. Hey!"

Someone was tapping Jensen's face insistently, calling him in a hushed voice. He blinked awake with bleary eyes to the sight of a familiar sparkling orange form.

"You!" He sat up on the marshmallow he'd been using as a bed and pushed away the sheet of fondant he'd been given as a blanket.

"Shh! You'll wake him!" Misha pointed at the sleeping giant. "Hurry! Let's escape before the monster wakes up!"

"Who are you callin’ a monster? Jared's a nice person. I can't just leave."

The fairy looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "I've never met a nice titan, and I daresay I've met quite a few. Now, come on!"

Just then, Jared stirred. "Morning... Oh!" His face lit up. Misha hurriedly flitted back as he leaned closer. "You must be Misha!"

The fairy turned to Jensen. "You told him about me?! Everyone knows you’re not supposed to tell people you saw a fairy!"

"No, you don’t tell _normal people_ you saw a fairy," Jensen corrected pointedly. “Does he look normal to you? And anyway, you landed me up here.”

“I’ve never seen a real fairy before.” Jared’s voice was filled with wonder. “You’re very small!”

“Hey!” Misha darted forward and smacked the giant on the nose. “I’m really big for my kind. You’re a titan. It’s not fair!”

Jensen buried his face in his hand. “Are we really doin’ this?”

“But I didn’t choose to be born this way!” Jared protested. “If I were your size, I could have left the castle. I could see the world. I could be free!”

Misha frowned. "You mean you've never left this castle?"

"Yeah, and I've never seen anyone but the pandas until Jensen here came in yesterday."

"Then where did you learn to speak?"

"Books and movies."

"Stuck here alone all your life... That's too sad, even for a titan."

"Yeah, we were hopin’ you could help with that," Jensen said, turning to the fairy.

Misha darted closer to whisper, "But he's a titan! It's safer for all of us if he stays here. How do you know he's telling the truth? Maybe someone sealed him here for safety."

"You're kiddin', right? This guy expected a prince in shinin' armor to come rescue him with true love's first kiss. He asked me where my loyal steed was."

Jared ducked his head in embarrassment, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks. “Do those not exist?”

Jensen looked mildly apologetic to be crushing Jared’s dreams. “Not anymore, no, not really.”

The titan looked disappointed, but then Misha was flying closer to his face, searching. Jared held his hands before his face, and after some hesitation, Misha alighted on his palms. “Oh.” He smiled, dazzling in his delight, as he looked more closely at the little fairy in his hands. “You’re so pretty.”

Iridescent wings quivered as if in a breeze, and Misha closed his eyes, deep in thought. Jared had such kind, innocent eyes, but he was still a titan. Could he really free him from this castle?

“All right,” he decided. “The magic surrounding this castle is too powerful for me to break or change.”

Jared looked so sad and disappointed, so much like an injured puppy, that Misha’s heart clenched. A titan shouldn’t be so charming. They were dangerous enough creatures as they were.

“But I might be able to use my magic on you,” he offered, hands clasped.

The giant’s eyes immediately brightened with hope. “Could you? As in like... make me smaller, so I can climb out the window?”

Misha nodded. “But because you’re a titan, no magic will work on you unless you allow it.”

Jared looked confused. “Why wouldn’t I allow it? You’re granting my wish, right?”

“Well, you can’t just say or think it like that,” the fairy explained. “You have to make a pact with me.”

“All right. How does that work?” Jared was so earnest, so eager.

“D—don’t just agree!” Misha protested, faltering. “You don’t even know what that entails.”

“Misha, I want to be free. I’ll do anything.” So desperate.

The fairy sighed. He felt bad. “If we do this, if you form this pact with me, any magic, for good or ill, that I cast on you will work. You’ll lose all your natural immunity to my magic. I could even kill you. Easily. Do you understand? You can’t— You can’t just give something like that away so freely!”

Jared smiled, his blue-green eyes soft. “Tell me what to do, Mish. If you meant me any harm, you wouldn’t warn me. You came up here to rescue Jen, didn’t you? I trust you.”

For a long moment, Misha simply stared up at the giant. Then he bowed his head in acquiescence and drew a small crescent-shaped dagger. With it, he made a small cut first on Jared’s finger, then on his left palm, drawing a little blood. “Repeat after me: Sang ila sang, fil ilya rabb un singyal.”

The other obediently repeated the words, albeit butchering the pronunciation. _Blood upon blood, I submit unto my master._

Misha nodded and whispered, “Sang ila sang, towa evyr zu milam kivyan.” _Blood upon blood, forever be bound within my will._ He pressed the cuts together. Under their skin, red runes glowed briefly and faded up their arms. Misha turned to Jared as the cuts knitted closed. “Thank you. You shouldn’t have. But thank you.”

“So you can make me smaller now?” the other asked, excited.

“Yes.”

He flew up to hover over Jared’s head and twirled quickly several times. Brightly coloured sparkles fell on Jared, his body glowed in a bright flash, and they shielded their eyes. Then the light was gone, and Jensen opened his eyes to find himself looking into pretty blue-green ones.

"W—wow, I'm Jen's size now!"

Jensen wasn't sure when Jared started calling him Jen, but the giant suddenly being his size was pretty amazing. It also posed a new problem.

"Wait. If he's my size, how are we goin' to get down the tower?"

“Oh, don’t worry.” Misha tossed some shiny dust over them, and Jared immediately started floating.

“Whoa!” He spun in midair, marvelling at the fact that he was levitating. “This is amazing, Mish!”

Jensen stared from where he was still firmly seated on the massive bed. “Am I s'posed to be floatin' too?”

“Yes! C’mon, it’s easy! Just think happy thoughts!”

 _Happy thoughts?_ Jensen thought long and hard, closing his eyes and sifting through his memories. He remembered growing up on the farm with his family. Those were happy times, learning to care for the herd, keeping the farm in order and dining together after a hard day’s work. Then there were nights or weekends on the town, which were always fun. Sometimes, it was hard to remember those days were long gone.

“Hey!”

He felt himself falling, but then a hand caught his. He opened his eyes to find Jared holding onto him.

“Focus, Jen. Happy thoughts! You were doing so well!”

“All my happy thoughts eventually have a sad endin',” he wanted to say, but then Jared suddenly pulled him into a hug.

“We can get out of here now. You can go home to your herd. Aren’t you glad?”

He was. He really was. And he’d also met Jared, who was starting to feel like the brother he’d never had. He felt himself float a little higher.

“Well, c’mon.” Misha tugged Jensen’s wrist with both hands, guiding him and Jared towards the window. “Let’s get out of this tower before the dust wears off.”

“Wait, it wears off?” Jensen dropped a couple of inches.

“Eventually,” the fairy confirmed cheerily. “Not so soon though. C’mon now. Don’t panic on me.” They floated over the windowsill. “Okay, now clear your mind. Any kind of negative emotion will send you plummeting, but if you just clear your mind, you’ll float down slowl—hey!”

Too late.

Jensen was already freefalling in a panic. “Help!”

Jared focused on the fact that he was _outside_ for the first time ever, on having Jensen and Misha with him; Misha beat his wings furiously, and together, they managed to slow Jensen’s descent to a safe landing on his feet.

Misha let go and smacked him, breathless. “I told you not to panic!”

“We’re forty feet in the air, you’re tellin' me I’ll fall as soon as I get distracted, and you expect me not to panic?!”

Before the fairy could retort, Jared hugged them both. “I’m so glad we escaped safely together. Thanks, guys. This is awesome.”

Misha grinned when he let go. “You should see your world in your size.” He clapped his hands and tossed a ball of light at Jared who glowed brightly, then grew and grew. Within seconds, he was back to his original size.

“Whoa.” He looked down at his hands and body again. “You really are amazing, Misha.”

The fairy blushed, fluttering higher. “And you really are—um… big.” He couldn’t help staring.

“You’re one perverted fairy!” Jensen exclaimed.

“That’s one… Tyrannosaurus prick!”

It was Jared’s turn to blush then, and he quickly bent to pick Jensen up, the human swatting Misha as he passed. He set Jensen on his right shoulder, and Misha flew up to sit on his left one.

“W—wow…” He looked around at the wide expanse of brightly coloured candy.

“Great view, isn’t it?” Misha piped up with a grin. “To think no one’s seen this place in centuries.”

“Centuries?” Jensen echoed. Jared’s homeland was very pretty from high up, all bright colours and bold shapes. It was hard to believe every feature was made of some kind of candy.

“Mm. The last account of anyone seeing Zuclas was about eight hundred human years ago.”

“Zuclas, that’s the name of this land?” Jared was still marvelling at his surroundings.

“Mmhm. Unless there’s more than one place in the world where everything is made of candy.”

"Hey, Jen, I know you're in a hurry to get home, but could we maybe sightsee a little first?"

Jensen shrugged. "Sure." He was already here, and Jared looked so hopeful. A couple more hours wouldn't hurt. “The beanstalk is a ways away anyway.”

Jared grinned and started walking. "Great! I've lived here all my life and never seen outside the castle. Everything is so pretty!" He plucked a sunflower. "And edible." He bit off a fondant petal and offered one each to Jensen and Misha, both of whom politely declined.

"I don't really like candy," Misha explained.

"Me neither," Jensen agreed.

"It's all I've ever eaten, but sometimes, I get a little sick of it," Jared admitted. "I don't know if I'd get used to not eating it though."

They walked through the garden, picked some candy fruits in the orchard and headed towards the bamboo forest. Over a hill lay a blue lake surrounded by a beach of fine vanilla sugar. Jared set Jensen down to walk barefoot on the beach. It smelled delicious, like Nana's cookies. The thought of Nana made him sad, and he resolutely pushed the thoughts away, sitting down.

Misha skipped lightly across the lake's surface, making a fancy pattern of ripples. Jared knelt at the edge and cupped some “water” in his hands for a taste — blue raspberry syrup.

"Do your homes look very different from this?" he asked.

Misha thought for a moment, then answered, "Not from afar, but up close, yes. Everything is much smaller and not made of candy."

“Same, albeit not as small,” Jensen chimed in, and the fairy gave him a dirty look.

“I’m surrounded by giants,” Misha pointed out, arms crossed, just this side of petulant.

Jared chuckled, nudging Misha closer with one finger. “And you’re the loveliest of all.”

The fairy twirled, resettling himself on Jared’s shoulder. “Flattery will get you everywhere, young man.”

The titan grinned, lifting Jensen as well to continue on their way. “Well, I’m going nowhere without you, my prince. Won’t you take me to your castle far away?”

The human groaned. Jared had been watching way too many movies of the same sort.

“Absolutely! You must visit my kingdom.” And Misha was only too happy to indulge him.

They reached the bamboo forest at last, and the pandas crowded around Jared, nuzzling his legs. He leaned down to pat and hug them in turn. They’d been his only companions for so very long.

“I’m going on an adventure,” he told them excitedly. "So you don't have to visit me for a while. I'll miss you guys though."

The pandas looked sad, but only hugged back.

"Don't worry about me, okay?"

He rose and headed over to the beanstalk. Jensen looked down.

"Tell me we're not doin' that happy thoughts flyin ' thing again."

“After what happened the last time?” Misha was incredulous. “I wouldn’t trust you to float two feet, let alone down from the clouds.”

“Good, good.” Jensen nodded, relieved. “So how do we do this?”

At that, the fairy frowned. “I have no idea,” he admitted.

“What if I carried him and floated down?” Jared suggested to Jensen’s horror.

“You’d have to be at least twice his size to do that safely, and anyone that big floating out of the sky would be hard to miss. It’d cause quite a scene.”

“Hm.” Jared sat down by Jensen’s bed, pensive. A panda came over and lay its head in his lap. _Oh!_ “What if we used my hair as a rope?”

Jensen sighed. “It couldn’t possibly reach the bottom.”

“Not as is,” Misha agreed. “But we could join several locks together to multiply the length.”

“Wouldn’t that make it less sturdy?” Jensen asked doubtfully.

“Considering a titan’s hair can only be cut with magic?” Misha rolled his eyes. “Surely you didn’t think he left his hair this long on purpose?”

“I kinda like it long,” Jared mumbled, ducking his head sheepishly. “But I tried to cut it once when it reached my knees. Nothing worked, so I ended up braiding it to keep it out of the way instead.”

"Well, if you're really willing to cut it, I think chin-length would look gorgeous on you."

"Yeah, just like that princess we watched yesterday," Jensen agreed with a snicker. "Ow!"

Misha smacked him. "Don't you listen to him. It's your hair. You shouldn't even be cutting it for that meanie. What do you want it to look like?"

"Well..." Jared scratched his head. "I don't really know about these things, so if it looks good to you, chin-length is fine."

The fairy flew higher to meet his gaze, blue eyes gentle. "Are you sure? M—"

"Yeah." Jared nodded, determined. "Jen needs to get home."

"Okay." Jared and Jensen had only met yesterday. Maybe... Maybe there was hope yet.

Misha focused. He let loose a sharp slice of magic, snipping Jared's beautiful brown tresses cleanly off at the chin. With another wave of his hands, it was a perfect bob.

"There. You're very beautiful," he said quietly.

Jared quickly turned to uncoiling his cut hair from around his waist and unravelling the braid to hide his rising blush. Misha was so sweet, and he'd never expected his prince charming and good fairy to be one and the same.

Jensen divided the hair into ten locks, and Misha ran his hands through lustrous strands, magically joining and braiding them into a long coil of sturdy rope. He couldn’t help thinking what a shame it was that they had to cut it all off. When it was done, it looked like it just might reach the bottom.

"Now, let's just wrap one end around your waist..." Misha fixed it in place with magic.

Tugging on it to make sure it was secure, Jensen asked, "Where do we tie the other end?"

Misha looked around.

“I’ll hold it,” Jared volunteered. “Like this.” He wound the other end around his arm several times and gripped it. “Just in case it’s longer than we really need.”

Jensen nodded. “Okay.” He stood at the edge, hesitating as he looked down. “So I just… uh…”

“Oh, I keep telling you. Stop worrying! It won’t break!” He back-kicked Jensen in the shoulder, and the human screamed.

“Jen!” Jared shouted, panicked.

“But it’s perfectly safe!” Misha protested, then turned as the giant pounced after the quickly disappearing hair rope. “Oh.” He paled as it stopped with a bit of recoil. “O—oops.”

“Misha!” Jared chided, dismayed.

“I’m sorry!” the fairy cried, flying down. “I’ll check on him!”

Jensen, as it turned out, was dangling about halfway down the beanstalk, face pale and skin clammy. Green eyes glared weakly at Misha before sliding shut as the fairy took Jensen’s face in his hands.

“Hey, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to kick you so hard. It was just supposed to be a swat with my foot.” He pouted, patting the human’s cheek. “C’mon, man. Say something. Stay with me.”

There was no response, but Jensen was most certainly alive — most likely just passed out from nausea. He flew back up to Jared.

“He’s safe.”

The giant sighed in relief.

“Just slowly let more of the rope down. I’ll tug three times when we reach the bottom.”

Jared nodded, and Misha returned to Jensen, watching as he was slowly lowered to the ground. When he finally touched down, the fairy tugged thrice on the rope and flew up to get Jared, shrinking the titan to human size. With the help of some fairy dust, they floated down to rejoin Jensen. The farmer was surrounded by his herd who were nuzzling his cheek and bleating in an effort to wake him up.

“Jen!” Jared cried, lifting Jensen into his lap, much to the llamas’ irritation. “I thought you said he was safe!” He glared accusingly at Misha, who was patting the llamas to calm them.

“He is! Don’t worry, he’ll wake up soon.”

An alpaca nosed Jensen's hand, and the human stirred.

"Jen?"

"Jared? Where's that fairy?" Jensen sat up, looking around. "Imma kill him. Where is he?"

Misha was nowhere to be seen.

"C'mon, Jen, it was an accident. Mish wouldn't kick you off the edge on purpose."

Jared reached out to pat a llama and was almost spat at for his effort. Seeing his disappointed face, Jensen placed an alpaca in his lap. It nuzzled his chest, much to Jared's delight.

"First the damned beans,” Jensen groused as the titan happily cuddled the alpaca. “Then the happy dust, then the fall, and now when I need my house back, he’s gone?!"

“I’m still here,” Misha piped up, peering over Jared’s shoulder. “I’m sorry!” He dodged Jensen’s attempts to grab him. “I know I’m silly and a little careless, but I never meant you any harm. I swear!” He ducked under Jared’s hair. “Jared, help me!”

"Y'know, Mish, I won't let just anyone do that, but I'll allow you." The giant caught Jensen’s hands. “C’mon, Jen. How’s he going to fix your house if you kill him? Besides, that’d be letting him off easy.”

“J—Jared! I thought I trusted you!” the fairy wailed, fluttering out of reach.

Jared shrugged, letting go with a grin to watch Jensen and his herd chase Misha.

“Get back here! Get back here and fix my house! It’s all your fault it’s buried under a giant beanstalk!”

“I told you they were magical!” the fairy protested, evading pursuit. “You’re not supposed to put magical beans under your mattress! That’s for peas!”

Just then, a hand snatched him out of the air to bleating cheers from the herd. “Gotcha.”

Misha pouted as he turned. “How could you?”

Jared grinned and pecked him on the forehead. “You were always planning to fix it anyway.”

The fairy turned to give Jensen a baleful look as the human smacked him. “Of course I’ll fix your house, Jensen. I won’t even count it as your wish. But reconstructing your house will take time, and I’ve already been away from my home for far too long.”

"What? Then where will I sleep until you come back?"

“Why, with Jared and me, of course.” At Jensen’s incredulous expression, Misha sighed. “Look, it’s… It’s been a really long time since I’ve had so much fun, and I’d love to stay — even just to fix your house, I swear. But I am needed back home.” He shook his head, dejected. “The truth is I never should have left.”

Jensen opened his mouth, then closed it again, wiping a hand over his face. Go to fairy land with Misha and Jared? On the one hand, it sounded like the adventure of his dreams. On the other, if there was one thing he’d learned from Misha, it was that the trouble with fairies was just that — trouble. 

Jared wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come with us, Jen. It'll be fun. And we’ve only just met yesterday. I’d like to spend more time with you."

The human looked doubtful, but didn’t know how to turn those hopeful blue-green eyes down.

"C'mon, it's not everyday you get a chance to visit the fairy kingdom, right?"

Jared could see the precise moment Jensen relented. An alpaca bleated.

"But wait, I can't just leave them." Jensen gestured to his herd.

"Oh, that's easy," Misha chimed in brightly. "We'll just take them along too!" Before anyone could blink, Misha had tossed some sparkling dust at the herd and was twirling above them, chanting words they didn't understand.

"Hey, what are you—"

A bright light enveloped them, and when they opened their eyes, they were Misha's size. The herd was about three quarters of their size and hovering several inches above the ground.

"—doing..."

Jared gripped Jensen to keep the farmer from falling over. The llamas and alpacas all had shimmering wings now, similar to Misha's own.

"They're adorable!" He reached for the nearest alpaca, and it nuzzled his hand cheerfully.

"Aren't they?" Misha patted a llama proudly. "I think I'll call them faellamas and faepacas."

The herd bleated excitedly, fluttering around experimentally with their new wings.

"My—my herd..." Jensen still seemed somewhat faint, so Jared kept a steady hold on him.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Misha unwound the shimmery purple and black fabric from around his waist and unfurled it. It seemed to suspend, unsupported, in midair. There were glimmering lights in it, like looking at stars, and as they watched, the stars shifted and changed. "Go on."

Jared reached out to touch it, and his hand passed right through. He peered around the cloth, but his hand wasn't sticking out the back. He retracted his hand and looked at it in wonder. He'd felt a cool breeze on his fingers.

"This is..."

"A portal to the fairy kingdom, yes."

Jensen swallowed, focused through the shock. "You're sure?"

"Of course. It only goes to one place. We used to open portals with spells, but those kept going wrong, so we created and started using charms like these instead. Simple and one hundred percent reliable."

That seemed good enough for Jared who was already excited enough for the three of them. "So we'll see you on the other side then?"

"Yup. I need to close the portal behind me, so I must be last."

Jensen closed his eyes and told himself he could do this, but right now, he trusted Misha's definition of safe about as far as he could throw the troublemaking fairy.

"Okay!"

Jared had no such qualms though, and before Jensen could react, Jared had half-carried him along through the portal. The herd quickly followed their owner without being told, and after a final check to make sure they hadn't missed anyone, Misha flew in and shut the portal behind him.

Time did not pass in the fairy kingdom. The land appeared to be locked in a perfect moment of sunset, the sky painted in hues of purple. Jared looked around in wonder — the foliage wasn’t made of candy, and a mist hung over the treetops, diffusing the light of the sunset to a soft golden glow. In the forest, tiny lanterns hung from almost every tree to illuminate the shadowed areas, twinkling in various colours. There was a kind of sweetness in the air, fresh and crisp, different from the earthy freshness of Jensen’s farm and the sugary sweetness of home. They were at the foot of a hill, little paths winding through the forest around them, disappearing into the misty distance.

Just then, Jensen’s herd appeared behind them, one after another. They circled their owner affectionately before making a beeline for the tender shoots up high, priorities perfectly in order. Jensen patted each one on the head as it passed, counting to make sure they were all present.

“All here?” Jared asked, squeezing his friend’s shoulders lightly.

“Yeah.” Jensen had to admit they looked happy to be able to fly up to the treetops. It made him smile.

"Hey, um... Thanks. For coming along." The giant brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. "You're a great friend."

Come to think of it, this was Jared's first time leaving home, and he'd already been to two different realms today. He was probably just hiding his nervousness at how foreign everything was. Jensen gave the titan a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"Someone's gotta keep you outta trouble, and it sure ain't gonna be Misha."

Jared cracked up. "Oh, he sure seems to be giving _you_ plenty of trouble."

"—oo!" Misha materialized behind them, rubbing his nose miserably. "You two've been talking about me, haven't you?"

Jared grinned, pulling Misha close by the waist. "What else would we talk about?"

"But you've been saying bad things!" the fairy whined.

Jensen shrugged. "You've gotta admit you haven't given me many good things to say."

Misha slumped against Jared, looking positively morose. "I said I was sorry."

The giant ruffled Misha's hair beneath the headdress, tucking the fairy under his chin.

"And it's not fair that you're still bigger than me now," Misha mumbled.

"I thought you saw something you liked," Jared whispered innocently, tracing iridescent wings.

Misha pulled away, taking a step back and turning to Jensen. "Come, there's something I must do before I can show you around." He rose off the ground with a flutter of wings. "Just climb up this hill. I need to hurry on ahead, so I'll see you there."

Swiftly, he flew up the hill and vanished into the trees. Jared shrugged and began walking after the fairy, so Jensen followed along. The last thing he wanted was for either one of them to get lost alone in fairy land. He’d have the herd to help him, but Jared would truly be alone, and one fairy was more than enough trouble — he shuddered to imagine how Jared would fare if he met several more.

It wasn’t a long way up the hill, and as they climbed, the golden sunset grew brighter and the mist faded. Around them, leaves rustled, and what seemed to be the melody of pipes echoed through the forest.

“What a pretty sound,” the titan murmured, taking his hand. "I wonder what it is."

"Pipes," Jensen replied, looking around. He could feel eyes on him, like they were being watched, and it made him uneasy. As if sensing his disquiet, his herd flew to his side, circling them both protectively.

Jared picked an alpaca up and cradled it in his arms. "l should get Misha to teach me." It fluttered its wings and nuzzled his cheek happily.

They crested the peak of the hill then, arriving in a large clearing. There was a huge gathering of fairies there, wings and garb in every colour and style, all facing a glowing… throne? It quivered in the breeze where it was set at the edge of a cliff, the sunset and a rainbow directly behind it. Someone in the crowd gasped as they entered, and suddenly, everyone was talking at once, pointing animatedly at them. The llamas immediately formed a semicircle around them, stomping their feet fiercely, but then the crowd fell silent. Warily, the fairies stepped aside, opening a way for them directly to the throne.

Jared, seeing that he was expected to approach, didn’t hesitate, and Jensen hurried after him. It was probably safer to stick together. Besides, Jared was a titan, immune to magic. The herd trotted after them as well, the llamas still eying the crowd with suspicion and the alpacas cheerfully bringing up the rear. As they got closer, the throne blocked out some of the light, and they finally saw who was seated in it.

“Misha!” Jared ran the rest of the way to hug the orange-clad fairy, setting the alpaca down beside him.

“You’re the fairy king?! You?” Jensen rubbed his eyes, incredulous.

“Hey, that’s Lord Misha to you!” a nearby fairy lady cried indignantly.

Misha held up his hand, smiling sheepishly. “It didn’t seem to matter at the time. And I’m still me.”

Jared grinned. “You’re really a royal!”

“Yup! And I guess this entire forest is my castle. Anything like you expected?”

The titan shook his head, but seemed perfectly content to run his hands all over the fairy regardless. Jensen sat down beside the leafy throne.

“Is that kale?” A llama took a bite. It grew back. _Magical_ kale. Jensen closed his eyes.

Misha turned to his people. “These are Jared and Jensen, my friends. Be nice.” With that, he waved his hand, and the pipes played again.

The earlier lady announced, “The Seelie Court is dismissed!” and all the fairies dispersed.

“Well,” Misha rose out of the throne with a flutter of wings. “There’s a little time before dinner, so let me show you around.” He led them behind the throne, and they shaded their eyes. Below the cliff was a large lake with sparkling clear water, a nearby waterfall creating the eternal mist and rainbow. On the other side, built into the rising slope from the lake amid the trees, were several curtained pavilions. “That’s where we’ll be spending the night,” he indicated them. “You have to see the lake up close. It’s gorgeous.”

“Wow…”

Misha then led them through the forest, through the buzz of dinner preparations. Fairies bowed to greet them as they passed, and the aroma of freshly baked bread and cakes permeated the air. More and more fairies came out to see them from all over the forest — some built their houses into the trees, some into the rocks on the hills, some wove their homes out of vines and leaves, while still others built cottages on the ground and erected walls under mushroom clusters. The fairies sung as they worked, and the lanterns twinkled as if in time with the song. There were stalls set up all along the path, selling everything from snacks to charms to pretty trinkets. Misha put wreaths of kale wound with flowers and little crystals around their necks, and the gems immediately change colour — Jared’s to pinkish purple and Jensen’s to greyish blue.

Misha frowned, taking the human by the shoulders. “Hey, nothing bad is going to happen, okay?”

Jensen shook his head, smiling tiredly. “It’s nice here. I’m just kinda beat.” That, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were still being watched.

“Oh, you should have just said so!” They reached a clearing with several large tables that looked to have been cut out from the trunk of a giant tree. “Dinner’s almost ready. I’ll take you to your room after we eat.”

As soon as he spoke, fairies flew in with baskets of bread, platters of cakes and bowls of soup, stew and salads. Everything smelled wonderful, and Jensen was suddenly hungrier than he was tired. Misha led them to some stools to sit down and passed them some bread, ladling some soup into empty bowls for them. Jared took a bite of walnut bread dipped in pumpkin soup and smiled with delight before feeding Misha a bite. Jensen dug in with gusto, and it wasn’t till halfway through the delicious meal that he noticed.

“Is tonight vegetarian night or something?”

Several fairies within earshot gasped.

Misha shook his head and explained, “We fairies are bound by oath never to spill blood. Those who break this oath are cursed. They become corrupted and turn into dark fairies.”

Curiosity piqued, Jensen asked, “Could you eat meat if the killin’ was done by someone else?”

Misha thought for a moment, then answered, “Technically, I suppose we could. After all, we’ve used the skins and furs of animals we found dead before. But I’ve never tried, so I can’t say for certain. All we have of this oath are stories of old and the proof of those who have forsworn it in present day.”

A silence fell over the table then, and it made Jared nervous. “Could you pass me the cakes, please?” he asked in an effort to break it.

“Oh yes! I forgot you’re used to living on sweets.” Misha pulled an entire platter of cakes over. “Have as many as you like.”

The little square cakes were light, soft and unexpectedly filled with cream. They melted in Jared’s mouth, and some cream ran over his lips. Before he could wipe it away, Misha leaned over and licked the cream off. Jared’s eyes found shining blue ones, and Misha looked away.

As if on cue, music started up —pipes, fiddles and drums— and many of the surrounding fairies burst into song. They rose from their seats and shifted over to the other side of the clearing to dance in several big circles. Jared turned to watch, putting Misha’s sudden odd reactions out of his mind. It was probably nothing — even in the movies, couples usually kissed only when they were alone.

“Hey! Jensen?”

The human turned at the sound of a familiar voice. “Matt?!” The businessman was clad in nothing but a pair of shimmery pink pants. “What happened to you?” Jensen stood up. “How’d you get here?”

“Oh man, I was just walking back to town after seeing the shepherds out on their meadows. You know I have to cut through a bit of forest, yeah? So I was just following the usual path I’d taken a hundred times before when, out of nowhere, there was suddenly a hole in the ground. I stepped right into it and fell what seemed like forever, then I hit the bottom and passed out. When I woke up, this guy,” he patted the blond fairy next to him on the shoulder, “was inspecting me, and we were just a little way from here.”

“Oh, Sebastian!” Misha stood, and the blond jumped into the king’s arms, wrapping his legs around Misha who hugged back. “I bet you’ve been having fun.”

“I’ve missed you!”

Jared frowned as Sebastian groped Misha.

“Liar,” Misha teased with a giggle.

“Man though, this place is great!” Matt continued. “It’s full of beautiful people, festivities and orgies! Did I mention orgies?”

Sebastian grabbed Jared’s hand and pulled him to his feet. “Come dance with us!”

Jared turned to Jensen. “You like dancing, right? Are you coming?”

Jensen stood. He felt a lot less tired after the food. “Sure.”

The musicians struck up a spirited tune as they joined the circles of people dancing. Jared tried clumsily to follow along the circle’s steps with Misha’s help while Matt and Sebastian led Jensen to the center where they quickly joined a fast-paced couples dance with changing partners. Between songs, pixies flew in with trays of honeyed water that were quickly drained. Round and round they spun between fleet-footed fairy girls, and Jensen had to agree that this was fun.

All of a sudden, he found himself in a garden, dimly lit and filled with sweet-smelling red flowers. The music of the dinner party could still clearly be heard, so he must still be near the clearing, but all at once, he felt at peace in the quiet of the garden. In here, it no longer felt like he was being watched. In the middle, a beautiful dark-haired lady sat with a harp upon a large mushroom, and she smiled when he looked at her. Before he could approach, she began playing a tune on her harp, singing along in an angelic voice that reverberated through the garden. Content, Jensen sat down to listen, leaning against a mossy tree. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Misha and Jared had found themselves outside the clearing as well, but along a quiet path.

“Do you want to go back?”

Jared shook his head, smiling wistfully. “I’ll just trip over someone else’s foot again. I love dancing, but I’m not very good.”

“Being good is all about practice. You should keep going if you enjoy it.”

The titan shook his head again. “Maybe some other time? Why don’t you take me to the lake? You said it’s gorgeous up close.” The truth was he really wanted to be alone with Misha. Maybe he could finally figure out if it was just the people or if Misha really was being strangely distant.

“Sure! It’s not far.”

He flitted along the path, leading Jared along, and it wasn’t long before the lake came within sight.

“Wow…”

It was breathtaking, with perfectly clear water showing a pearlescent bottom in every colour of the rainbow. He ran into the water, the fine sand soft beneath his feet, and cupped the cool water in his hands. The golden sunset sparkled on the surface, and he could see his reflection beside Misha’s too. He tasted the water. It was sweet, but not syrupy like the lake in his homeland had been.

“The water of this lake is prized for its healing properties. It dispels poison from the body and cures the sick. But it only works on those who are pure of heart as the body cannot be healthy when the heart is sick. Many a wicked creature has sought this water to no avail, so its efficacy is somewhat disputed.”

“Oh, should I step out of the water?” Jared turned to walk back to dry land. “I’m sorry. I hope I haven’t—”

Misha stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You can even immerse yourself fully. As I said, it purifies things, including itself.” He flew towards the centre of the lake. “I can show you the world,” he sang softly, spreading his arms with a grin. “Shining, shimmering, splendid~” The lanterns all around the lake lit up, illuminating the surrounding forest and giving the many white flowers dotting the ground an ethereal glow. “Tell me, pr—”

Jared pulled the fairy into a kiss, brief but ardent. “I always let my heart decide, Mish.”

Blue eyes met his at last, and they seemed sad as Misha sank slowly into the water before him. “I’m sorry, Jare,” he whispered, arms still around the giant’s neck. “I’m sorry for tricking you.”

The titan blinked. “Mish, what are you saying?”

“I never checked whether I could do anything about your castle. I just wanted you to make the pact with me. I warned you of the consequences out of guilt, just like I’m telling you the truth now because I can’t bear lying to you any longer.” Misha let go, turning away. “I didn’t trust you despite what Jensen said. Your people are old enemies of mine. Remember how the other fairies reacted earlier? We remember titans as cruel destroyers.” He shook his head. “Once, before your numbers dwindled, your people wreaked destruction upon many realms, and only the dragons stopped you. For millennia, the dragon-titan non-aggression pact maintained the peace in the realms, and then both dwindled in number till it lost its meaning. No one has seen either a dragon or a titan in centuries… till now.” Misha spun around to face Jared once more with a sigh. “I thought you were just tricking me to help you escape, that you’d turn on us both as soon as we got out of that tower and our pact would be the only thing keeping Jensen and me safe. That’s why I wanted to get him away first. I could have broken the pact when we reached the human world. After all, you’d already proven that you didn’t mean anyone any harm. Instead, I brought you here, where my power is at its strongest, so you wouldn’t be able to refuse the request I’d always planned to make.”

“Mish, you know… You could have just asked. If you needed my help with something, you could have named it as your price for letting me out of the castle, and I wouldn’t have thought twice before agreeing.”

Misha nodded, looking down to avoid the disappointed look on Jared’s face. It hurt. “I know. And I wouldn’t have trusted you to hold up your end of the bargain. I’m sorry.”

The titan sat down, immersing himself up to the neck. “What were you going to ask of me?”

Misha sighed again. “Did Jensen tell you how we met?”

Jared shook his head.

“Anomalies have been cropping up everywhere, causing the appearance of strange monsters and gateways between realms. Matt earlier fell through one such gateway to end up here. The big bad wolf appeared out of nowhere one day and terrorized my kingdom for over a week before coming across another gateway and landing in Jensen’s farm. I pursued it, but by the time I arrived, it had already mauled Jensen’s grandmother.”

The giant gasped. “No wonder Jensen always seems so down. I never knew.”

The fairy nodded sadly. “I could only bind and banish it, so there’s a chance it may return, and these anomalies are caused by tampering with the time-space continuum, so we might have bigger problems to worry about soon. But recently, a much greater threat has arisen. Someone —likely the same person causing the anomalies— has woken the ancient evil dragon, Jabberwocky, and I fear it won’t be long before it begins its reign of terror. Only two creatures in all of creation can stand against a dragon: another dragon and a titan. So when I found you…”

“You knew you needed to enlist my help no matter what,” Jared finished for him quietly.

He nodded. “I’m really sorry I tricked you. And I’m sorry I can’t annul our pact. For the sake of my people, I must make you help me. And yet…” He slumped. “I like you. I can tell that your affection for me is genuine. And the last thing I want is for this to end with me sending you to your death against your will, thinking that everything we’ve ever had is a lie.”

For a moment, Jared was silent, pensive. Finally, he stood, taking Misha’s hand to make the fairy look at him. “Silly Mish. I wouldn’t stand idly by while entire kingdoms are destroyed. You should have just told me the truth and asked. I would have helped you regardless.”

“Well, if I’d known then what I know now…” Looking at Jared was distracting. He had the prettiest eyes, and the water had dissolved his sugary clothes, revealing his impossibly perfect build. Misha was anything but superficial, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have eyes. He shook his head to clear it. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “If you want me to leave, I’d understand.”

“Just tell me one thing, Mish, honestly.” Jared pressed their foreheads together. “If none of this matters, if I’d help you anyway or you never needed my help at all, would you still be here? W—”

“Yes. Gods, yes.” They were sharing breath, and he wanted, he _wanted._ “I really do like you, Jare. It’s not a lie.”

“Then stay.”

And suddenly, they were kissing again, Misha’s arms winding around Jared’s neck and the titan pressing their bodies closer with a hand on the small of his back. Titans, they really shouldn’t be so beautiful, so sweet and kind. He lay Jared down in the shallows, straddling his hips, and shuddered as warm fingers caressed his wings.

“Not just for tonight,” he promised. He could get used to this. He could get used to this everyday, forever.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Jared agreed, hands slipping lower with a mischievous grin.

Misha gasped at the spark of pleasure, then frowned. “I should have tested you with the unicorns! Where’d you learn that from?”

“Well, not all the movies and books in the castle are innocent.”

“Naughty,” Misha chided with a giggle, leaning down once more.

Someday, Jared would fulfill the ancient prophecy and fight the Jabberwocky. But tonight, he would sleep in Misha’s arms, and nothing could take that peace away.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Meinarch for the beta and the glorious and cracktastic art. Give her some feedback [here](http://kidezt.livejournal.com/9284.html)!
> 
> There might be a J2M sequel. Maybe. Tell me what you think! ♥


End file.
